Kissi Agyebeng, Managing Partner of Cromwell Gray LLP, lawyer for the five, said his clients had not engaged in any act of criminality by any stretch of the legal and factual imagination, consequently, the demand by their clients.

Contained in a press statement, Kissi Agyebeng said the Police Service is perpetrating an illegality by purporting to hold a service enquiry in respect of his clients, in flagrant violation of C.I. 76.

To him, the Police Service commenced a rather rueful negative media campaign a couple of months ago against his clients of the East Legon Police Command, in respect of the arrest of some persons and retrieval of some substance purported to be gold.

“At first, we gave the GPS the benefit of its stature that it would institute a timely service enquiry to establish the veracity or otherwise of the allegations, should it find the need to do so upon their interdiction.

“However, recent events have informed us that the GPS is unwilling to act within the confines of law and regulation in this matter, but is very much inclined to subject our clients to further public ridicule in a very unfair manner.

“Our clients would be heading to the law courts to clear their names and reputations, and for reinstatement.”

To set the record straight, Cromwell Gray LLP said, contrary to publications caused by the Police Service, their clients were never arrested or detained in any police station, but then, their clients arrested certain accused persons in connection with a gold case reported at the East Legon Police Station, where they were processed court.

He said on November 12, 2016, one George Yeboah of Tarkwa Nsuayem, lodged a complaint of theft of his 13 kilogrammes of gold by his business partners.

In the course of investigations, the East Legon Police arrested suspects Nana Agyei, Wofa Yaw Osei, Adedayo Adedotun, alias AJ, and Chinese/Americans Yong Cing Wu, Dai Dingxian, Mike Fan and John Whelen, together with 13 kilogrammes of some shiny metals alleged to be gold.

During interrogation, suspects Nana Agyei and Wofa Yaw Osei confessed to the offence, and mentioned suspects Adedayo Adedotun and one Courage Gegepe as their accomplices.

After preliminary investigations, the suspects were charged with the offences of stealing and dishonestly receiving, respectively, and put before the Accra Circuit Court.

While preparing to send the retrieved exhibit to the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) for assaying, Courage Gegepe was arrested, and upon interrogation, admitted that they had defrauded the Chinese/Americans, who were earlier charged with the offence of dishonestly receiving.

“He further stated that they swapped the pure gold with fake gold before handing it over to the buyers, and that they did that with the support of Adedayo Adedotun, a Nigerian, who was in the company of the buyers. Upon this admission, Courage Gegepe was also charged and put before the Circuit Court,” said Kissi Agyebeng.

On November 22, 2016, while the officer in charge of prosecution was in the process of amending the charges to reflect the appropriate offences, the CID Headquarters took over the investigation of the case from the East Legon police.

He said the CID Headquarters then, withdrew the case from court, and the accused persons, Adedayo Adedotun and Courage Gegepe, set free.

“Upon releasing the suspects, the CID Headquarters then, turned around and declared Courage Gegepe, whom they had released, a wanted man in publications, including on Facebook, on June 12, 2017, in respect of the same transaction that led to his arrest and arraignment before court by our clients.

“In the said publication, the CID Headquarters acknowledged that the original suspects readily confessed stealing the actual gold, a fact that was unearthed by our clients as far back as November 2016 in their investigations. Needless to say, Courage Gegepe is still on the run.

“The CID publication on 12 June 2017, also acknowledged that Courage Gegepe disclosed, upon his arrest in November 2016, that he and his accomplices were engaged in a scheme and defrauded the complainants.

“By a signal dated February 17, 2017, and referenced as PO.2811/21, our clients were interdicted without any stated reason whatsoever.”

In reference, he quoted: “Reg. 105(12) of the Police Service Regulations, 2012 (C.I. 76) states that ‘[I]f after three months of interdiction, disciplinary proceedings are not instituted against the officer, the Inspector-General shall revoke the interdiction, and the officer shall resume duty’.”

Kissi Agyebeng noted that as at May 18, 2017, more than three months after their interdiction, no disciplinary proceedings had been instituted against their clients.

“Our clients have borne in silence the brunt of the odium the publications reduced them in their name, reputation and standing in society, until now.

“We, therefore, demand the Inspector-General of Police to revoke the interdiction of our clients, and a recall for assumption of duty,” the statement concluded.
ing the COP21 climate summit in December 2015, ARC announced more than $150 million in new pledges from countries including Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States.

Last year the WFP announced collaboration with ARC to extend disaster insurance coverage to more African countries, partly thanks to European donors. The WFP’s replica insurance programme will match outlays for countries that consistently invest in insurance premiums via ARC. The UN agency hopes that by 2030 insurance will finance half its natural disaster aid expenditures in Africa and Asia.

“WFP is transforming the way we assist vulnerable communities to cope with natural disasters, from disaster response to risk management,” said WFP executive director Ertharin Cousin during the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul last year. “Countries themselves need to own and manage their disaster risk, first and foremost.”

To make sure that it can make good on any and all claims, ARC has its own insurance, spreading its risk among many of the world`s top reinsurance companies, including such big names as Munich Re.

Reinsurance companies

The number of reinsurers that back ARC’s portfolio stands at 24, twice the number that signed on at the beginning in 2014. “They needed us more than we needed them,” says Simon Young, former head of ARC, Ms. Banda’s predecessor. Mr. Young remains in an advisory capacity.

Big insurers have been trying to tap the African market for years, without much success. “ARC is a really nice vehicle for them to get a lot of risk in a nicely packaged way,” says Mr. Young.

Using this leverage, ARC Ltd. can negotiate favorable prices, Mr. Young noted. The appetite among reinsurers is sufficient to cover ARC Ltd.’s needs “many times over,” observes an insurance industry insider who preferred to remain anonymous.

ARC Ltd. hopes to provide up to $1.5 billion of coverage for 150 million people against drought, floods and cyclones in 30 countries by 2020. Sixteen countries have signed memorandums of understanding, a key step toward obtaining coverage.

Cyclone and flood programmes are in the research and development phase, a process that includes number crunching to make sure that necessary parameters and triggers are fairly calculated and correctly measured.

Indian Ocean countries such as Madagascar have expressed interest in cyclone coverage, notes Ms. Banda. It is due to be rolled out later this year. Several donors appear ready to help launch the flood scheme.

To ensure that payouts are used for disaster-mitigation purposes, ARC Ltd. plans to establish parameters for aid distribution and a monitoring system. “We need a foolproof methodology for the traceability of payouts,” says Ms. Banda, adding that one of her goals is to have African governments feel that the programme is theirs.

Beyond its current drought coverage, ARC Ltd could be well placed for expansion. But in an era of ever-tightening public budgets, national leaders also need to be convinced to shell out cash for premiums.

“We need to work with host countries in terms of financial trade-offs with respect to premium affordability,” said Ms. Banda.

The lack of deeply-rooted insurance markets also seems to present a barrier to many African countries. Of all premiums in sub-Saharan Africa, 80% are concentrated in South Africa.

By Inusa Musah Five police personnel interdicted for allegedly being involved in some missing gold scandal are demanding their reinstatement in the Ghana Police Service (GPS). The five are Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel A. Basintale, RSM John Sovor, G/CPL Baleto Boafour, G/L/CPL Ignatius Asamoah Mensah, and D/L/CPL. Cyrus Egbert Conduah. Kissi Agyebeng, […]
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